Moles And The Floods

[davedavedave 69]

Hi All,

 

With many parts of the UK under water what effect does everyone think this will have on the moles in these areas? Wipe them out or b*gg*r all effect? I reckon the latter as I seem to remember that areas that had previous flooded saw mole back working only weeks later.

 

Likewise I wonder what the levels of bovine TB will be in the Somerset Levels once the water recede assuming the floods have hammered the badger population.

 

atb,

Dave.

 

[Malt 379]

Sure I read that moles were real good swimmers somewhere once..

[Matt 160]

The last time we had a winter this wet I had a record year on the moles. The work carried on right through the summer.

 

Any badgers on the Somerset Levels (it's not a densely populated area anyway)will have moved onto higher and drier ground some time ago. The potential spread of TB from this migration doesn't bear thinking about. It will take 6-12 months for any spike in breakdowns to become apparent because of the testing regime.

[Tiercel 6,986]

The last time we had a winter this wet I had a record year on the moles. The work carried on right through the summer.

 

Any badgers on the Somerset Levels (it's not a densely populated area anyway)will have moved onto higher and drier ground some time ago. The potential spread of TB from this migration doesn't bear thinking about. It will take 6-12 months for any spike in breakdowns to become apparent because of the testing regime.

Your statment made me think what would happen if the area that the low lying badgers moved too had a denser population how would that work? Would the more dominant incomers move out less dominant residents? Or would the residents have priority?

 

TC

[Matt 160]

There could well be badger-esque civil walls on the Mendips and Quantox as we speak.... only time will tell.

[perthshire keeper 1,239]

Sure I read that moles were real good swimmers somewhere once..

droped one off a bridhe when we were kids once.....it swam across the current realy realy well and fast!

 

in a wood i once keeperd had a lot of mice,voles,shrews and moles...when the river burst its flood bank and the wood flooded..their was a carpet of dead rodents in one corner of the wood...but their wasnt a mole amoung them.. but i did see a mole swim across the flooded wood leaving a wake behind it.....

[Giro 2,648]

Aye they can swim..

 

My friend taught a boy at my work, how to set barrel traps..

 

The lad caught one by the front foot. He was not how sure to dispatch it, so he tossed it in the river.

 

He said it swam and soon as it hit dry land,it disappeared into the soil.

 

 

The bits that flooded round here, the wildlife slowly built back up..

[fireman 10,925]

I was on the phone to a fella who's been catching moles and although the fields aren't under water the runs are all running with water and he's still catching moles so the tunnels do have to be under water before they move out it seems.

[Matt 160]

I was on the phone to a fella who's been catching moles and although the fields aren't under water the runs are all running with water and he's still catching moles so the tunnels do have to be under water before they move out it seems.

Two weeks ago I was trapping on Exmoor.

 

Many of the runs I opened up were full of running water. I started off the week trying to find dry runs, but by the end of the week I just set in the running water. Catch rates were normal, although the moles were all soaked when I took them out.

 

Back out in a couple of days for another 21 day Exmoor marathon. I suspect there will be even more waterlogged runs by now.

[davedavedave 69]

If I find what I think is a travel run and its got running water in it I personally think its a great place to set a barrel trap as the mole will want to get through it as quickly as possible so hit the trap harder.